A $5.2-million investment will help bring heart surgery to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
The province announced the investment on Tuesday, saying it will support the planning and design of the cardio-vascular surgery program.
That will let patients receive heart surgery closer to home and decrease wait times for those who would otherwise have to travel to southern Ontario.
“This incredible program will ensure the people of northwestern Ontario can get the critical heart care they need faster and closer to home,” said a statement from Premier Doug Ford.
To launch the program, areas of the hospital will be renovated or expanded to allow for a new surgical suite, more inpatient cardiac care beds, a larger ambulatory care and pre-admission clinic, a new vascular lab, and renovations to the medical device reprocessing and biomedical departments.
The regional hospital’s Northern Cardiac Fund site says our region has the highest rate of heart disease in Canada, and the highest death rate from heart disease in the province.
“Providing safe quality, life-saving care closer to home is our goal, and the generous financial support from the Government of Ontario is vital to achieve it,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “A full cardiovascular surgery program at our Hospital will allow patients in Northwestern Ontario to be provided with the same quality cardiovascular care as they would in Southern Ontario, but without the added stress and expense of having to travel. It also enables patients living in Northwestern Ontario to receive the life-saving procedures they need in a community that is more sensitive to their needs and more familiar with their circumstances.”
The province is also working with the hospital to expand its cardiovascular services, which will be confirmed later in the planning process.
